A mechanistic perspective on targeting bacterial drug resistance with nanoparticles

Bacterial infections are an important cause of mortality worldwide owing to the prevalence of drug resistant bacteria. Bacteria develop resistance against antimicrobial drugs by several mechanisms such as enzyme inactivation, reduced cell permeability, modifying target site or enzyme, enhanced efflux because of high expression of efflux pumps, biofilm formation or drug-resistance gene expression. New and alternative ways such as nanoparticle (NP) applications are being established to overcome the growing multidrug-resistance in bacteria. NPs have unique antimicrobial characteristics that make them appropriate for medical application to overcome antibiotic resistance. The proposed antibacterial mechanisms of NPs are cell membrane damage, changing cell wall penetration, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, effect on DNA and proteins, and impact on biofilm formation. The present review mainly focuses on discussing various mechanisms of bacterial drug resistance and the applications of NPs as alternative antibacterial systems. Combination therapy of NPs and antibiotics as a novel approach in medicine towards antimicrobial resistance is also discussed.